Emergency Plan and Drills in Bursa

An emergency plan is the document that sets out in writing who does what, and in what order, during events that require intervention and evacuation at your workplace, such as fire, explosion, chemical release, earthquake or flood. Article 11 of Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety and the Regulation on Emergencies at Workplaces make this plan mandatory for every employer, regardless of hazard class or number of employees. A common mistake when having an emergency plan prepared in Bursa is to treat it as a file to show during inspections; yet the regulation also requires the plan's workability to be tested through drills and corrected based on the results.

The plan is a natural continuation of the risk assessment. Emergencies are identified based on the results of the risk assessment; the plan for a textile company with a dye house cannot be the same as the plan for a metal workshop with an LPG tank. Under the regulation, preparation follows these stages:

1. Identifying possible emergencies: fire and explosion, chemical, biological, radioactive or nuclear release, poisoning, epidemic, natural disaster, sabotage
2. Planning preventive and limiting measures
3. Identifying the people to be assigned
4. Writing intervention and evacuation procedures
5. Documentation, evacuation plan and diagrams
6. Drills and renewal of the plan

The most critical link in the plan is people. The employer sets up firefighting, rescue, protection and first aid teams; each team has a sufficient number of support staff according to the hazard class. These people receive training specific to their duties, their names are posted in visible places at the workplace, and anyone who leaves is replaced by a newly assigned person.

The plan is renewed at least every 2 years in very hazardous workplaces, every 4 years in hazardous workplaces and every 6 years in less hazardous workplaces. These are maximum periods: whenever there is a change that affects emergencies, such as relocation, a new production line, chemical storage or a building extension, the plan is updated without waiting for the period to expire. The drill is held at least once a year and recorded on a drill form.

The plan must cover not only your own employees but also subcontractor employees, visitors and customers at the workplace. Making sure these people know the emergency exits and the assembly point is a precondition for an accurate headcount during an evacuation.

Support staff numbers: the "for each team" detail

The ratio in the regulation is not a single total; it applies separately to each team. In a very hazardous workplace with 120 employees, 120 / 30 = 4, so the firefighting team needs 4 people, the rescue team 4 and the protection team 4: 12 support staff in total. Under the First Aid Regulation, 12 first aiders are added to this. Because the ratio is "at least 1 per up to 30 employees", fractional results are rounded up: a very hazardous workplace with 31 employees assigns 2 people to each team.

The legislation links the number to headcount, not to shifts. However, if all team members are at home during the night shift, the plan exists only on paper. We therefore recommend setting up teams per shift and having at least one team leader on site in every shift.

Minimum content of the plan

Under Article 12 of the Regulation on Emergencies, the plan includes at least the following:

• The workplace's name and address and the employer's name; who prepared the plan, the preparation date and the validity date
• The emergencies identified and the preventive and limiting measures taken
• Emergency intervention and evacuation procedures
• Locations of firefighting equipment and first aid supplies
• A diagram showing escape routes, assembly points and any warning systems
• Names, titles, areas of responsibility and contact details of the assigned persons and their backups
• Emergency contact numbers of national and local agencies
• Areas with a risk of chemical release, flash fire or explosion
• Shut-off points and valves for electricity and gas supply

The pages are numbered, the people who prepared the plan initial each page and sign the last page. The evacuation plan is posted at the workplace entrances and on every floor.

Making the drill measurable

The purpose of a drill is to see that the plan is workable. We record the following measures in every drill:

The date of the drill, the shortcomings found and the arrangements made to address them are written on the drill form; the plan is reviewed and corrected based on these findings. If a shortcoming written on last year's form recurs this year, it will be immediately visible during an inspection.

Special situations that are often overlooked

• People who need assistance: Persons to accompany elderly, disabled and pregnant employees, and children in the workplace crèche if there is one, are designated in advance.
• Visitors and subcontractor employees: They are informed about escape routes and the assembly point before starting work.
• Effects from the surroundings: Possible adverse effects from nearby workplaces and the surroundings are also assessed in the plan.